Shift Shaft Broken :-(

[Thrash1]

I just got back from testing my bike at the track and I had made some changes to my suspension. Sag/Fork oil and what not. On my third lap I went to grab 3rd gear for the straight and boom No Shift Lever..

I pulled off to the side of the track thinking it had just fallen off. I inspected the shaft and it had snapped off where the grove is.

I need a little help now: How much could I expect a dealer to charge for replacing the shaft.

How Hard is it to replace it myself...

I.E. What Parts other than the Shift Shaft would I need to do it right.

I've got a Yamaha Shop Manual and are there any special tools needed for the job?

How common do these typically Break? It looked like there has been a crack in it for some time, and it finally broke today..

Thanks for the Help.

T

[grayracer513]

The shift shaft is replaced with the engine in the bike. It requires the removal of the right engine cover and the clutch, but not much else. You'll need a cover gasket, a shift shaft seal, oil, coolant, and of course, the shaft itself. If you are going to pay for it to be done, expect to pay for about two or three hours labor.

[phat_450f]

when you get it replaced remember not to stomp on the thing=-).....

[Pincushion]

Its not that big of a job and if your moderatly able and motivated you can knock it out in a few hours.

[yamasaki]

ive changed the shift shaft on my yz250 twice. took me about 2 hours. not hard at all. the job sounds scarier than it actually is. it's just a small PITA because you have to remove the clutch basket and depending on your bike year/model the kickstart assy needs to come off to. once those two things are off, it just slides right out (assuming you pulled the shift lever off the shaft!!) :-)

just crack open a beer, take a deep breath, put on a mellow cd in the garage, and have at it.. take your time and have patience, you will be done in no time.

[Thrash1]

Yea I freaked when it first happed after a few hours of looking at the manual it doen't look too bad. I was thinking I had to split the cases and take the engine out of the bike and so on....

I Always try to be easy on gear changes and do everything smoothly and deliberatly. But Sometime I just run out of luck

Thanx for the Help Guys.

[Thrash1]

Update...

After much debate and research I just didn't want to hassle with on-line ordering and shipping. I checked to see if local dealers in the three county area had the parts. Everyone had to order them so I got them from the local Yamaha Dealer. This guy usually blows me off when I stop in, but when I ordered parts, He got all warm and really started chatting about the '06 models coming out....

Anyhow....I got the bike tore down per manual directions, I preplanned as much as I could to make the job go quickly and easily.. I bought some cheap aluminum baking pans to put part in to keep them organized per teardown sections. Water Pump, Oil Filter, Clutch/Clutch Basket... Ect...

The only problem I had was the clutch basket and the 30mm lock nut.. I spend about 45min trying to ease it off . I finally broke down and fired up my air compressor and 1/2impact wrench.. Two or Three hammer taps and she spun right off. Now that pesky little shift shaft.. Pulled it out and popped in a new shift seal and changed the parts over. Assembly went together much faster with a cordless drill and 8mm driver socket to snug the bolts before final torque.

Total time for the replacement 3 hours. Upon reflection I could have probable left the Water Pump and Oil Filter cases on.

New Fluids/Filters. Fired it up..Checked for Leaks.. Test rode it down the alley shifting threw the gears and now it's good to go?

[Pincushion]

Awesome! It sure feels nice going for a ride after performing engine work.

Splurge for the clutch holder tool. It'll save you time, trouble and possible from having to buy a new clutch basket in the future.